The problem with agreeing to write a series of articles about Dragon Age: Origins is the unfortunate reality that the mere act of writing about Dragon Age is destined to severely cut into time spent playing Dragon Age. (And time budgeted for the little things like work, eating, sleeping, etc. is already deeply, deeply resented.)

Fortunately, I’m a multi-tasker at heart, and have managed to combine sleeping, eating and writing into the same time slot as ‘work’ … *cough* … right, on we go, shall we?

So, here’s the thing. We’re all playing Dragon Age, right? We’re all creating our own personal stories, valiant heroes, duty-bound warriors, ruthless cutthroats and gut-wrenching romances. So, why would anyone be interested in the things I have to say about this game, this … experience?

Dragon Age Origins Blog 0059 150x150 Article: Dragon Age Elevating The NarrativeWell, no reason actually. (In fact, if I manage to convince myself that these pieces will remain unread by anyone, I may get over the crippling fear of posting them at all.)
But, what I hope to present to the ether world of the Internet is a look at some of the unifying themes of Dragon Age from a couple of different perspectives – a literary narrative viewpoint, and a gameplay/technology and societal viewpoint.

That said, I do reserve the right to go on the occasional rant, rampage or ZOMGFANGIRL!1! dance of glee.

What I want to do at this point, is let all of my imaginary readers into the terrifying little place I call my brain. So, let me preface this with a small introduction, and perhaps some context as to where I approach gaming from. I’m a cranky old lady who’s been earning a living for 20 years with nothing but a moderate knowledge of the English language. I’m a tabletop RPG, sci-fi, fantasy freak living comfortably in my alter-ego as a suburban-living corporate drone.

And I have the hand-eye co-ordination and reflexes of a tortoise on Xanax.

True story.

I also came to computer gaming late in life – I played my first real computer game in 2006 – and so have a tendency to view gaming without the cultural baggage that accumulated around the medium in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I’m all about gaming as a viable and legitimate artistic statement.

Geoffrey Rockwell, a cross-appointed professor in the humanities computing program and the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alberta in Canada, says it’s time to stop looking at computer games like they’re separate from the rest of human entertainment.

There’s a lot of anxiety around computer games.

He said and added …

You get psychologists doing these studies about whether computer games make children more violent, when what we should be doing is developing a language similar to the critical discourse we have around literature.

We’ve developed a very sophisticated, critical discourse for understanding how novels work, understanding their traditions, how they’re made. We look at some of the finest work of human imagination, and computer games are very sophisticated works of human imagination.

For me, Dragon Age is the pinnacle of what’s possible in this arena at this time.

And it’s all about the narrative.

There are a lot of games out there with great stories, stories where the player gets to live out that hero fantasy of saving the world, kicking the bad guy in the ass and riding off into the sunset with the girl (or boy) of their dreams.

Dragon Age Origins Blog 0056 150x150 Article: Dragon Age Elevating The NarrativeWhere Dragon Age takes this and turns it on its head is by allowing for the possibility of some really, and I mean really, sad endings.
That’s what real literature does, people. That’s what the great films are about.

Sixty-five years after Casablanca hit the big screen, people still remember, people still obsess, the audience still hopes that somehow, some way, Bogart just might get on that plane this time. But, would we remember if he’d flown away with Ingrid Bergman? Why are Shakespeare’s tragedies the ones that lodge in our minds and hearts?

I saw my first sad film at the age of eight. Having been raised, like most children of my generation, on the saccharin happy endings of the Wonderful World of Disney, I was in for a shock when I sat through Yasha-ga-ike or Demon Pond. As the heroes sank, dead, beneath the water of their flooded village, I waited – waited – for the magic to happen that would bring them back to life, for the fairy godmother, for the miracle, whatever … and all I got was the credits rolling up the screen.

And that is exactly how I felt as the credits rolled on my first play through of Dragon Age.

Art, real art, has a place for human pain, for heartbreak. By very definition the interactivity of video game allows for a depth of connection to that emotion greater than words on a page, or even colourful images on a screen, because it’s your character, your adventure, your heartbreak.
How very delicious.

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